I loved this book. A mystery within a mystery. One of the best books I've read this year. Actually sad that it ended. No skimming allowed with this boI loved this book. A mystery within a mystery. One of the best books I've read this year. Actually sad that it ended. No skimming allowed with this book. I have recommended this book to everyone I know. It’s so well written and intelligent. I have struggled to find books of this caliber and can only hope that Anthony Horowitz never stops writing....more
The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or ever touched. They must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller, I imagine, lived that quote on The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or ever touched. They must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller, I imagine, lived that quote on a daily basis. She exercised her mind, heart and all of her senses to a deeper level which allowed her to appreciate so very much the beauty in life. I think of Miss Keller’s words as I look back on books I have read. My most cherished books are those that when I close the book at the last page, I feel thankful that I have been allowed to read it. Isn’t that what we all want? A book that enriched our lives is worth reading and then rereading. A great story lives on passed from friend to friend, from generation to generation. I predict that This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger will live on in our culture. This book is a magnificent, sweeping tale of four orphans during the Great Depression. Their situation is one that has been chronicled throughout history. The orphanage/school is dirty, dank and dark. The head of this institution is evil, mean and sinister. But Odie, Albert, Moses and Emmy find each other and share the dream of finding a place to call home. With fortitude and grit these vagabonds decide to canoe the Mississippi down to Saint Louis to find the Aunt from Alberts memory, in the belief that she will shelter and protect them. Along the way they face adventures and danger that will keep you in awe of the effortless prose and glued to the pages. Their journey is one of suffering but also of hope, one that is cruel but also uplifted by kindness. Great writers don’t settle. They never dial it in. When they know they can do better, they work until it is better. This book was six years in the making and the result of a rewrite over 3 years ago. Thank you Mr. Krueger for working so long and hard to give us this version. This Tender Land, a coming of age story, showcases the best in what the human spirit epitomizes during harsh times and the guiding force of hope. This book deserves more than 5 stars. I feel that This Tender Land will receive the rating of “cherished, enduring novel of consequence.” You deserve to read it. You need to read it. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #ThisTenderLand...more
I read this book over a year ago and I am still blown away by the true beauty of this book. Amor Towles reminds us how important words and language arI read this book over a year ago and I am still blown away by the true beauty of this book. Amor Towles reminds us how important words and language are. This book requires patience to appreciate the subtle nuances and I recommend reading this book some place quiet without distractions. ...more
What I liked about this book was how real it felt and it wasn’t a “perfect” ending. It was a great story from beginning to end. It’s a book that hopefWhat I liked about this book was how real it felt and it wasn’t a “perfect” ending. It was a great story from beginning to end. It’s a book that hopefully people will start a real dialogue when talking about it. While this book may be fictional, the scenario created in this book is something that happens in real life which makes it even more thought provoking. ...more
I finished it in one sitting. Worth the read. Strong storyline and liked that the main character wasn’t without his own flaws. Also, not everything waI finished it in one sitting. Worth the read. Strong storyline and liked that the main character wasn’t without his own flaws. Also, not everything was tied up in a nice neat bow at the end. ...more
Daughter of Moloka’i is the sequel to Alan Brennart’s novel, Molaka’i. Sequels are a unique writing genre; highly anticipated, highly scrutinized and Daughter of Moloka’i is the sequel to Alan Brennart’s novel, Molaka’i. Sequels are a unique writing genre; highly anticipated, highly scrutinized and highly debated. There are few novels and their sequels that achieve equally plaudits. Knowing this, I felt a sense of trepidation when I began reading Daughter of Molaka’i. Within a few pages, the trepidation was gone. The hours that I spent reading the novel have turned to images in my memory that will last a lifetime. Beginning at age three, Brennart tells the story of Ruth, daughter of Rachael, a leprosy victim. Rachael had the disease, but Ruth also suffered its consequences. Torn from her mother and placed in an orphanage in Honolulu, Ruth struggles as other girls are placed in families while she remains behind. Finally joy enters her life when a Japanese family adopts her and eventually move to California. With insight into human emotion, Brennart takes us thru Ruth’s life: thru teenage years to marriage to the internment in a World War II camp. But yet for Ruth there is more in her continuing life: a letting from her birth mother, Rachael. Possibly Brennart’s greatest gift to the novel is his ability to deeply and deftly describe the places and people so that we are transported to that time and local. We emotionally connect with Ruth. We feel her sadness, we celebrate her joy and fulfillment. We won’t forget her. You can’t ask for more than that in a novel. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #DaughterofMolokai...more
Daughter of Moloka’i is the sequel to Alan Brennart’s novel, Molaka’i. Sequels are a unique writing genre; highly anticipated, highly scrutinized and Daughter of Moloka’i is the sequel to Alan Brennart’s novel, Molaka’i. Sequels are a unique writing genre; highly anticipated, highly scrutinized and highly debated. There are few novels and their sequels that achieve equally plaudits. Knowing this, I felt a sense of trepidation when I began reading Daughter of Molaka’i. Within a few pages, the trepidation was gone. The hours that I spent reading the novel have turned to images in my memory that will last a lifetime. Beginning at age three, Brennart tells the story of Ruth, daughter of Rachael, a leprosy victim. Rachael had the disease, but Ruth also suffered its consequences. Torn from her mother and placed in an orphanage in Honolulu, Ruth struggles as other girls are placed in families while she remains behind. Finally joy enters her life when a Japanese family adopts her and eventually move to California. With insight into human emotion, Brennart takes us thru Ruth’s life: thru teenage years to marriage to the internment in a World War II camp. But yet for Ruth there is more in her continuing life: a letting from her birth mother, Rachael. Possibly Brennart’s greatest gift to the novel is his ability to deeply and deftly describe the places and people so that we are transported to that time and local. We emotionally connect with Ruth. We feel her sadness, we celebrate her joy and fulfillment. We won’t forget her. You can’t ask for more than that in a novel. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #DaughterofMolokai...more
“There are things we don’t want to happen but we have to accept, things we don’t want to learn, and people we don’t want to live without but have to l “There are things we don’t want to happen but we have to accept, things we don’t want to learn, and people we don’t want to live without but have to let go.” Riley Sager's new book, The Last Time Lied, takes this quote to heart. In this suspense filled thriller, Sager spins a tale of three girls from one tent who disappear one night at a summer sleep away camp fifteen years ago. The lone remaining camper in that tent, Emma, was only thirteen at the time and finds herself tormented by that horrific event. Years later, Emma, uses that event though to build a budding successful career as a painter. All of her paintings are her “vision” of the “the three girls” from Camp Nightingale. Emma, now twenty-eight, is invited back to the reopening of Camp Nightingale as a paint instructor by the camps family. Will Emma discover what happened over fifteen years ago to her missing bunk mates? As Emma tries to uncover the truth from the past, she unravels more mysteries from the present. Will Emma learn the truth before it’s too late? Riley Sager hits a homerun with “The Last Time I Lied.” It hits all of the marks of a great thriller and it’s one that is worth staying up late for. Must read!! I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not effect my review of this book. #netgalley #TheLastTimeILied...more
“There are things we don’t want to happen but we have to accept, things we don’t want to learn, and people we don’t want to live without but have to l“There are things we don’t want to happen but we have to accept, things we don’t want to learn, and people we don’t want to live without but have to let go.” Riley Sager's new book, The Last Time Lied, takes this quote to heart. In this suspense filled thriller, Sager spins a tale of three girls from one tent who disappear one night at a summer sleep away camp fifteen years ago. The lone remaining camper in that tent, Emma, was only thirteen at the time and finds herself tormented by that horrific event. Years later, Emma, uses that event though to build a budding successful career as a painter. All of her paintings are her “vision” of the “the three girls” from Camp Nightingale. Emma, now twenty-eight, is invited back to the reopening of Camp Nightingale as a paint instructor by the camps family. Will Emma discover what happened over fifteen years ago to her missing bunk mates? As Emma tries to uncover the truth from the past, she unravels more mysteries from the present. Will Emma learn the truth before it’s too late? Riley Sager hits a homerun with “The Last Time I Lied.” It hits all of the marks of a great thriller and it’s one that is worth staying up late for. Must read!! I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not effect my review of this book. #netgalley #TheLastTimeILied...more
Upfront. First thing - I am recommending this book. It is a well developed story about a horrible event. But it is a difficult read. Sadness, anger, dUpfront. First thing - I am recommending this book. It is a well developed story about a horrible event. But it is a difficult read. Sadness, anger, depression, impatience become the readers constant companions during this reading. T. Greenwood calmly and clearly chronicles a child abduction. Step by step we are led through the events that wrest a young girl from her home to life on the road with a drunken pedophile. Each step could have turned out differently. This is the “gut wrenchingness” of this book. If Only rides along from New Jersey to California. The individuals we meet along the way are fully developed characters. This is part of the beauty of this novel. We like some. We admire some. We hate some. Some bring us to tears while others raise our blood pressure. I will not ruin the book for future readers by disclosing the ending. I will call the ending most satisfying and poignant. I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is unbiased and completely my own. #netgalkey #rustandstardust...more
We've all done it before. We've daydreamed, analyzed, pondered, wished and sometimes argued about it. What five people would you invite to dinner if yWe've all done it before. We've daydreamed, analyzed, pondered, wished and sometimes argued about it. What five people would you invite to dinner if you could have anyone. Living or dead, famous or family, past or present, real or fictional, people you know or someone you've never met - those are a few of the questions we have contemplated when making our ultimate dinner list. Years ago, thirty year old Sabrina and her best friend, Jessica, make a list of five people they want at their dinner. Years later, Sabrina's list becomes a reality at her 30th birthday dinner. Rebecca Serle's book, The Dinner List, invites us to take a seat at the table for a lively dinner full of conversation. Sabrina, along with Jessica, spends the evening with a professor from the past, her absentee father, her ex-fiancee and Audrey Hepburn. Why Audrey Hepburn? The real question should be, why not Audrey Hepburn. It's hard not to fall in love with this story as you will become invested in each character's story. Serle's character development is rich and deep. You will feel yourself laughing at times as well as shedding a few tears with each one of these characters and their story. Former North Carolina State basketball coach, Jim Valvano, once said, "We should do three things everyday of our life. Number one is laugh, you should laugh every day. Number two is to think, we should spend some time in thought, and number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears." The Dinner List gives us an abundance of all those things inside a beautiful yellow cover. Not only do you get a wonderful story from Serle, you will find yourself thinking and daydreaming of your "dinner list" as an extra bonus. Add this book to your must read shelves and enjoy the meal. For readers looking to add The Dinner List to your book clubs, make sure to allow extra time because you and your friends should enjoy this discussion over dinner and dessert for sure! I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. My reviews are unbiased and you can follow all of my reviews at thejwordpress.wordpress.com as well as Goodreads. #Netgalley #TheDinnerList...more